I have really screwed up.

psyangel

Hi I see lots of peeps have given you lots of advice, i would just like to say to you that you haven't screwed up, you're just human like the rest of us.
We (a family of 3) manage on a combined income of just under 2k after tax per calendar month. We have no savings either - just debt. But I quite understand the awful feeling of trying to make money go further - every 3 months i go through all our direct debits trying to work out if I can save on any of them and I very rarely can because so many outgoings are fixed.
Anyway, good luck - and for shopping I would recommend Asda, Aldi and Lidl. Personally I wouldn't touch Waitrose or Sainsbury with a barge pole because they are much more expensive (at least where I live in the North East) but I do use Tesco's occasionally.

Well done for doing something now :T:T

daphne_descends

Thank you LCT and psyangel. I do think Sainsbury's are pricey, are the Nectar points really worth it?

I think it is easy to spend more by shopping around as I have done by buying things I didn't need because they were cheap, but I reckon it's worth stocking up on things like jars of mayonnaise, I am sure I saw big jars in ASDA for £1 a while ago, and tinned tuna, things like that with pasta or jacket pots are a great cheap dinner that we all eat. I love it when I can do the week's shop for peanuts because I have the basics already :T only shame is I don't have a freezer, just a small compartment above my fridge, but it's enough to put a fair few batch cooked meals in (my OH is wonderful, yesterday he did a roast and saved loads of chicken for today's picnic and at the same time did two portions of bolognaise, he is often to be found making soup as well )

I did used to use S-online all of the time and recently got a Nectar statement (had forgotten all about it to be honest) and used the points for a magazine subscription (to stop me buying food magazines) but it didn't seem a lot considering I was pretty loyal for a good few years!

Can you believe I forgot to include my NEXT account in my SOA? I will have to dig the statement out but I think it's something like £200. But that is manageable compared to the rest, even lumped in with the rest it's not that bothersome, just another bill to pay :rolleyes:

kissjenn

Hi,

From your first post SOA you say you're not entitled to Tx Credits, however given your household income you are entitled to about £10 pw. Are they offsetting a previous overpayment or is there another reason why you think you're not entitled? It may be worth recording a claim now, explaining the change in circumstances and asking for a determination on your new earnings.

HTH

daphne_descends

kissjenn wrote: »

Hi,

From your first post SOA you say you're not entitled to Tx Credits, however given your household income you are entitled to about £10 pw. Are they offsetting a previous overpayment or is there another reason why you think you're not entitled? It may be worth recording a claim now, explaining the change in circumstances and asking for a determination on your new earnings.

HTH

Thanks kissjenn, that is really helpful. I have only ever done a rough guess on entitledto and it always says we're not entitled because it takes last years earnings into account - well I had 6 months maternity and 6 months salary and now that's zero. So you can claim in a change of circumstances? £40 a month would cover the water bill!

Katy83

Hi daphne,

Just read your post and I would second what everyone else says - you are only human and it is not worth beating yourself up over. Well done for facing up to the problem now before it gets out of hand.

Re: the supermarket thing. I think it depends on what kind of things you buy - I eat a LOT of fresh fruit and veg and therefore find morrisons to be the best choice for that. Generally for groceries though asda is pretty good and cheap. Sainsburys isn't all that cheap for its branded ranges but the basics stuff is pretty good.

I find having a freezer invaluable - have you thought about looking for one on freecycle?

Good luck with it all xx

daphne_descends

Thanks Katy, I feel a lot better today about facing things, it's a relief to get it off my chest.

Unfortunately we don't have room for a freezer, the kitchen is small, no room for a tumbler or dishwasher either, so appliances are just a washing machine and fridge! With careful planning I can get a fair bit into the freezer compartment though, actually I am trying to use up everything so we are eating cheaply for a bit, I always keep things like frozen veg to chuck in pasta bakes etc.

We eat a lot of fruit and veg too which is why I have avoided Asda and Sainsbury's as I've found stuff has not kept well whereas from Ocado it is very fresh because it's from the warehouse so bypasses the route-to-supermarket - but I will try M's.

Mind you, that said about the freezer, I think there is a power supply to the shed - that is FULL to burst with crap. I will get OH to investigate and see if there is one, if it works, if we can clear it out... as we're renting we have to be careful with what is rubbish to us but precious to the LL!

hettiecarro

Hi
Just read your thread. Good luck with it all!

A freezer doesn't have to be in the kitchen. To help me batch cook I just bought one for £15 off ebay. Not the prettiest freezer in the world - but it works- and I've put it in the spare bedroom.

Any ideas on how to make a 'FEATURE' of a freezer in the bedroom GREATLY APPRECIATED!
:rotfl:

I'm new on here - you obviously aren't - so nice to meet you!!!!

daphne_descends

Thanks hettiecarro, you made me laugh nice to meet you! Is the freezer noisy? Are they expensive to run? Never considered putting one somewhere else

Tell people it's a piece of modern art, or a new designer coffee table?

Pooky

DD :T Lovely to see you back.

We're on a water meter and pay £18.10 for incoming water and £18 for sewage (I think Kent is one of the only areas you have to pay 2 bills), so your £40 will more than cover it.

Phone the tax credit people up and give them your details, you'll be entitled to the basic £10.50ish a week at least, not sure when they'll start it from/backdate it too but the sooner you call them, the sooner you'll know.

I'll second the freezer doesn't have to be in the kitchen idea - I had one in my bedroom at one stage...whilst not ideal it did the job. If you can get it in the shed then fantastic, as long as it's fairly practical to get to.

Food wise, if you pop a list on the OS board of the sort of things you like to eat, I'm sure they'll come up with some most cost effective ways of replacating them for you.

Enjoy your time as a SAHM, it's the best job in the world

bookseller1980

DD- it is so nice to see you back at last. I've been worried about you. Pop over for a chat.
Good luck with your budget - you can do it.
Pile everything to the back of the shed and stick a freezer in there.
I'm finding Asda good for meat bargains at the moment - they deliver in my area.